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‘Among the Sleep’ Hits Retail Next Month
Krillbite Studio’s atmospheric indie game Among the Sleep is coming to retail on July 15 in Europe, and July 26 in North America for PC and PS4. The crowdfunded horror game released digitally on the Xbox One just last week, no word yet on whether or not the platform will also be getting a retail release. On the surface, Among the Sleep tells a story about a two-year old protagonist and the frightening adventure he and his sentient stuffed teddy bear embark on one stormy night to find his missing mother. Beneath its quirky premise lurks some weighty themes about mental illness, and the impact it can have on a struggling family.
The studio’s next game, Mosaic, was announced in April. It’s completely unlike their last game in just about every way, with the exception of its art style, which is uniquely charming, albeit in a different way, and its shared willingness to tackle tough themes with its narrative, such as the expectations one might have for adulthood versus the reality of adulthood.
Mosaic releases in 2017 for PC, Mac and Linux.
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.
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